This I Believe

I am the eldest of the two of us; Jessica being 18 and I being 22. These days we are civil to each other and each has their own space. Not like six years ago when we shared a room. In our 3 bedroom home where a computer inhabited the spare room, it was either live together or move out. So I did, down to the basement. Back before that even happened though, we couldn’t stand each other. I remember the days when she chucked a cordless phone at my head, ripped my hair out while fighting in the car, and tore into my arm with her teeth. We almost never got along.

There is one day that stands out to me most. I was about 10 years old, outside talking with some friends. They started to accuse me of saying something I didn’t say. I remember getting really upset about it and on the verge of tears when out came my little sister. She walked right past me and up to the bullies. “You leave her alone!” she scolded. I couldn’t believe my ears. I thought to myself, “Yeah! Back off!” After they left I was relieved she stood up for me. Even though she was younger, she had my back.

Years later the problems are no longer bullies but boys. I’m proud to say the roles have reversed and now I am there for her. Recently, Jess was hiding her feelings from our parents. They told me they heard her crying in her room but she wouldn’t talk to them. I knocked on the door and she summoned me in. I seated myself on the edge of the bed and started talking about my experience with relationships, how I got hurt and how the Lord got me through it. I didn’t ask what the matter was; somehow I knew what she needed to hear. After I had finished, I was the one crying. We both shared a hug of support and she opened up to me.

Sisters share a bond that no friend can replace. Friends come and go but your sister will always be there. No one knows you better.

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Top 100 Essays USB Drive

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This week’s essay

Growing up in the former Yugoslavia, lawyer Djenita Pasic enjoyed the peace of her religiously diverse country. But after the fall of communism and the outbreak of the Bosnian War, Pasic was forced to reevaluate her ideas about religion and tolerance. Click here to read her essay.